Cybersecurity is one of the most pressing issues of our time. With both business and personal data now living almost exclusively in the cloud, the challenges have become even more complicated. The need for sophisticated solutions is now more intense. Fortunately, with the rise of new technologies, modern cloud architectures and software-defined infrastructure, and better collaboration between IT, engineering and security professionals, we now have the tools and abilities to rise to the challenge.
Training the Next Generation of Cybersecurity Professionals
Leveraging the insights of our expert partners across multiple industries, we have identified Cybersecurity as our next big focus area for training, and we are excited to share that we are now developing a Cybersecurity Nanodegree program. Udacity founder Sebastian Thrun announced our plans for the new program at the annual RSA Conference earlier today. And we are thrilled that RSA Conference has taken the lead and already committed to $50,000 in scholarships!
To create a world-class learning program focused on Cybersecurity—a program that will achieve Udacity’s twin goals of delivering talent to industry and opportunity to students—we will collaborate with the most innovative, influential, and visionary leaders and organizations in the Cybersecurity field.
Udacity will bring our leadership and expertise in preparing highly-motivated learners for critical roles in advanced technical fields, including AI, Data, and more. Together with our chosen industry collaborators, we will train the next generation of Cybersecurity professionals
Addressing the Talent Gap
In today’s world—and across virtually every business—systems, data, and products are rapidly moving towards the cloud. We have many different endpoints (mobile, IoT, etc.), and distributed heterogeneous systems. Accordingly, the need for new approaches to Cybersecurity has never been more pressing, nor has demand for experienced talent been more acute.
According to recent reports from the Department of Labor:
“Employment of information security analysts is projected to grow 28 percent from 2016 to 2026, much faster than the average for all occupations. Demand for information security analysts is expected to be very high, as these analysts will be needed to create innovative solutions to prevent hackers from stealing critical information or causing problems for computer networks.”
World-class AI and Data training
It is estimated that there are no more than 300,000 qualified AI engineers in the world today. Udacity alone has produced some 10,000 of these professionals already, and with thousands more students actively enrolled in our School of Artificial Intelligence classrooms, we have emerged as the leading provider of innovative AI and Data training for the future of work.
Udacity today counts more than eight million enrolled students across free and paid courses, and nearly 30,000 graduates of our groundbreaking Nanodegree programs, which are built in collaboration with global innovators like Google, Amazon, IBM, NVIDIA, Mercedes-Benz, and more.
With the creation of this new Nanodegree program, we extend our pioneering learning platform to the critical field of Cybersecurity. As with all of our Nanodegree programs, Udacity is committed to building an industry-focused curriculum that prioritizes innovative and hands-on projects. Graduates of this program will be uniquely qualified to significantly raise the security standards at their current organizations, or find entirely new career opportunities in this field.
An Invitation to Industry
With all our Nanodegree programs, our industry partners and collaborators play a critical role. The same will be true of our new Cybersecurity Nanodegree program. To the leaders in this field, we are extending the opportunity to join us. Your organization, together with Udacity, can help shape the future of Cybersecurity training, and nurture the world’s most advanced pipeline of highly-qualified Cybersecurity talent.
Your expertise and experience will inform the development of our curriculum. Your subject matter experts will provide vital leadership and deliver valuable knowledge to our students. Through the establishment of scholarships, you will help ensure maximum opportunity for the most deserving and qualified students across the globe.
Through our partnership, your organization will have early access to this incredible talent pipeline, and the opportunity to hire those experts who have trained on the curriculum you helped to build.
Partner with us. Get more details: here.
As we consider the technological landscape of the future, we continually seek opportunities to apply the world’s most transformative technologies to the world’s most pressing challenges, and to educate, develop, and nurture the talent that will solve these challenges. We see this kind of opportunity in the field of Cybersecurity, and we look forward to building this program in partnership with the world’s leading Cybersecurity experts.
